Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. It would be useless to sue, because I have no money.
First, I would like to apologize (for the eighty-millionth time) for taking so long to update. My life has been very hectic lately, with junior year and SATs and tests and AP classes… it's been very stressful. I haven't had much time to sleep, much less write. I'm sorry for all of you that I have disappointed, and I hope you can forgive me. This chapter is fairly short and not beta-corrected, so I hope it's enough for a while.
WARNING: This chapter is slightly graphic and contains slight implied sexual content. If that offends any of you, I'm sorry. Take this as fair warning.
Draco's eyes swept slowly over the room, taking in all the images around him. He lounged lazily in a large chair in a corner by himself, a less-than-pleased expression settled on his face.
He watched as his father's colleagues and fellow members chatted nonchalantly around the room, as if they were attending a simple, elegant dinner party. Some sat at the delicately decorated table (set by his detail-obsessive mother), sipping chardonnay or wine, and speaking in hushed tones. Draco sipped is own whiskey, which his own father had given him. He sat quietly, surveying his surroundings, catching only snippets of the conversations around him. He eyed each person carefully. This one's sister just had a baby boy, possibly when he's old enough he'll join… Another thinks they'll raise a rank soon… Another speaks his undercover excursions in obnoxious detail…
He stood and made his way to a more secluded area of the room, where he could watch shrouded in shadow. No one had noticed he was there, and he was perfectly fine with being excluded from the conversations. Somewhere in the background of noise, he heard the old clock strike two.
Time to get this party started.
Sure enough, as he looked towards the door, his father's minions pulled her in. Bound by the hands and with a chain attached to each ankle, she had trouble walking. She stumbled and fell to the floor, crying out in pain. The men dragged her further in, and his father walked over to the scene.
"I have a little surprise for you all," he said, yanking her to her feet. She uttered a cry of surprise, and sagged against the wall in weakness. "This young minx will be presented again for tonight, if any of you are willing to have her." He grabbed her face with a sneer and sniggered, "I'm sure she'll be more than happy to give."
Draco watched and saw her eyes fill with fearful tears.
Several of the men seated around the room laughed, and a few rose to take the over. They called over to his father, offering money or sentiments for the prize. "I'll take her, Lucius," one called maliciously, and he saw her loose heart and start crying as she sank to the floor. "I'm all for a night of fun."
"No, Lucius, I want her for tonight," said another from the other side of the room, beckoning to him with a waving of his hand, "I'd like to take her to my room for once-"
Draco finally stood.
"Father, I'd like to have her."
The noise and laughter in the room suddenly ceased. Draco looked to his son with surprise, and the other suitors turned to regard him with jealously and a sneer.
"You, Draco?" his father asked with astonishment, "I have never seen you partake in these activities before. Wasn't it you that stated it was not time for you yet-"
"Yes, well, everyone changes their mind once and a while."
She looked at him in shock and anguish. He had been unable to tell her of his plan when they had last met, not knowing of a plan of action himself. He had derived the idea merely hours ago, and he could sense the malice and hatred radiating off of her at the present moment. Feeling betrayed and most likely humiliated beyond belief because a fellow classmate was about to use her, she sat dumbfounded by the wall and refused to move.
His father regarded him with a look of disbelief as well, but suddenly his face broke into a grin. "Finally, you have come to your senses, my son," he said, walking away from her and patting with a fatherly hand on the back. "You have finally decided to try to become a member?"
Draco was afraid that he would ask this. He had spend much time brooding over this decision; in truth, he knew it was his father's wish to become a Death Eater, but he was unsure if he could handle it. He wanted to please his father, and was leaning towards it slightly, but had been unable to give him an answer yet.
"Yes," he said after an awkward pause, "I have."
His father laughed and embraced him, "You have made a good choice, Draco," he said into his ear, "I am very proud of you."
Draco felt the pride inside him swell, and embraced his father back. "I'm glad you accept me, father."
"Of course, my son," he said, taking a step back and presenting Draco to the room of people, "My son has decided to join our ranks!"
His fellow member's cheered, raising their glasses. Draco grinned, happy to finally please his father, and forgetting slightly the plan he was about to put into action.
"Here, you may have her for tonight," stated his father, dragging his son over to where she sat, anger and resentment in her eyes. His father turned to him, looking him in the eye. "A word of caution; I hear she's a bit… aggressive, so be careful. And be aware to perform a spell to keep her quiet once you have finished, or else she might possibly tell someone."
"I will, father," he stated, looking at her as she breathed heavily on the floor next to his feet, "I'll manage."
His father handed him the ropes and chains that held her feet and hands. "She's yours now, to do with what you will," his father stated, "Just try not to make too much noise."
The company laughed, and Draco allowed himself to snicker. She looked up at him in contempt, sniffling as tears coursed down her cheeks. He gave her chains a yank, and she fell onto her face. The people around her laughed, and she tried feebly to get to her knees. Draco gave her chains another pull and managed to get her to stand. She pulled feebly against her captor, but was unable to speak because of a gag. He tried to tell her with his eyes that he wouldn't harm her, but she was unable to understand. Instead, he continued to act and pulled her along, out of the room, and up the stairs. Every now and then she would try and fight against him, but was unable to because of weakness and fatigue. His father followed slowly behind, making sure she wouldn't try and attack him.
He managed to pull her to an empty bedchamber, and threw her into the room. He hadn't wanted to harm her, but with his father's ever-watchful eye upon him, he had no choice. He saw her strain against him in torment, falling upon her side awkwardly.
"Don't worry, Mudblood. You'll have your fun yet."
She closed her eyes against him, and tried to curl into a protective ball. She was unable to, however, well Draco yanked on the chains and sent her flailing into the side of the bed. She again sank to the floor.
"Come on. Do not fight me."
He threw her onto the bed as his father remained leaning against the doorframe. Keeping up the act he had going, he crawled onto the bed, pulling her roughly towards him. "You will face me when I am speaking to you!" he yelled into her face, spiting as he spoke. She was crying openly now, shaking with suppressed fear and sobs.
He heard his father snigger from the doorway, and he finally turned to him. "Father, please," he said, turning away from her trembling frame, "give me some privacy. I promise to return her to you when I have finished." He turned back to her, but his father refused to move.
"I want to make sure you know what you are doing first," he said, crossing his arms leisurely as his back remained leaning against the doorframe, "they sometimes put up a fight."
Draco, displeased that he would have to act more than he wished, threw her down and began to remove her shirt. He pleaded with his eyes, begging her to understand. I do not wish to harm you, Hermione. "I assure you, father. I can handle it."
His father still in the doorway, he was forced to begin to touch her. Gods, I can't do this much longer. "Please, father," he said, as she struggled weakly against his fake caresses, "Grant me some peace."
His father sighed, but conceded. "Alright, son," he said, grabbing the handle to the door, "I'll leave you to it. If you need any assistance, be sure to call," he said, but still remained at the door.
Merlin, what to I have to do to get this man to leave? He chose to start unbuttoning his pants, showing his father that he was about to get underway. "Alright, father," he said, standing, "I can take it from here."
She shook uncontrollably on the bed beneath him.
With one last look in the room, his father left, shutting the door behind him.
Draco grabbed his wand from his cloak that he had placed on a nearby chair and performed several locking spells. He walked towards the door, and listened for his father's descending footsteps. He sighed in relief, refastening his pants and walking back to the bed.
Hermione had turned to the side, trying to hide herself from him. He looked at her with pity, and realized he had probably frightened her more than he had wanted to.
"Hermione, it's alright," he started, trying to reach out to touch her, "I'm not going to harm you-"
She pulled roughly away from him, curling further into herself. He noticed she was still bound. "I'll free you, if that's what you want," he said, raising his wand, and not knowing what else to say.
He undid her gag. "There," he said, "Does that prove it to you?"
"Get away from me, you dirty bastard!" he cried, riddled with grief. "You liar!"
Though he knew why he she was upset, but he was still defensive. "I'm here to help you, you ungrateful Mudblood!" he yelled at her, and then realized his father could possibly hear him. "I'm trying to free you!"
"By raping me first?" she cried in response, "I thought I could trust you!" she bawled between uncontrolled sobs, then spoke no more.
"How else was I to get my father to let me have you alone?" he replied in anger, "I had to act like it was something else! I had no time to tell you of the plan!"
"You didn't have to try and kill me on the way up the stairs!" she cried. "And you practically broke my arm!"
"Well excuse me for trying to make it seem real to my father!"
"Your acting was too real!"
It finally occurred to him that she was shirtless, he had just accepted her for a night of implied sex, and she had had no idea that it was all an act.
"Hermione, I'm sorry," he started, trying to explain. "I was just trying to get you out of there before someone else took you."
He undid the ropes and chains, and handed back her shirt. She was still upset, but her crying had slowed and she began to calm. "This was seriously all an act?"
He scowled at her as she put on her small shirt, "You seriously think I'd have my way with you?"
"Well thank you for your compliments," she bit back scathingly. She rubbed her wrists where the chains had bound her, soothing the red marks and scratches.
Draco looked at them, but refused to apologize. He'd just saved her life, hadn't he? "Well let's get a move on then, we don't have much time. We have to get to the dungeons."
"What?"
He took her hand and pulled her off the bed, then walked over to a blank wall. "We have to get Snape before my father comes back and suspects something."
Finding a small notch in the wall, he pulled open a hidden passage near the bookcase. "My father will be expecting to hear noises," he muttered to himself, slowly trying to devise a plan. He settled on one idea, and brandished his wand. He enchanted one flower vase to moan, a cup to scream, and magicked the bed so that it bounced and made banging noises a little. "This will only give us about half an hour, and hour at the max," he replied as Hermione smirked. He pulled her next to him, and proceeded into the unlit corridor.
"Alohomora," he muttered under his breath. The corridor burst in front of their eyes, cobwebs and crawling things fleeing into the cracks.
He breathed a deep breath, preparing himself for what he had to do.
"Let's go."
Author's Note: I'm sorry it's kind of short. I have little time to write, and as it is, I should probably be studying. As of now, you may notice that my style has changed slightly; I'm not sure if it has or not, but my writing has undergone serious change with my new classes. I'm sorry if this seems different to anyone, but I can't help it.
I have no idea when the next chapter will come out. It may be a long time in between updates. I apologize in advance.